Switch stand



May 19, 1942.

w. s. NEWHALL swncn" STAND Filed NOV. 10, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ML WWW N/ E? Wfi ATTORNEY5 w. s. NEWHALL 2,283,645

May 19, 1942;

SWITCH STAND Filed Nov. 10, 1939 2 sh eet's-sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS WAL ER 5. NEWHALL 760%, z

Patented I May 19, 1942 swrron STAND Walter S. Newhall, Chagrin Falls, Ohio Application November 10, 1939, Serial No. 303,843

* Claims. (o1. 246411) This invention relates in general to a rail way switch stand and particularly to a switch stand of the crank and spindle type employing a crank operated vertically disposed spindle, co-

acting with a longitudinally shiftable switch bar which is connected to the switch points, a quarter turn of the spindle throwing the switch from one position to another and turning a banner or signal lamp 90 for such throw. Switch stands of this type are generally used in railway yards where switching operations require a quick and easy change in position of the switch.

The switches in railway yards-are frequently used, and the tracks controlled thereby carry considerable-traffic. The greater part of this trafiic comprises the switching of cars from one track to another for train make-up operations.-

Under such conditions, the switches are sometimes inadvertently trailed through. That is,

-mentioned abovewhich may be quickly and easily operated, and which is comparatively light in Weight and economical, not only in the initial cost but also in maintenance costs.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved switch stand which will be so arranged that the trailing through of the switch will not seriously damage the stand or its operating mechanism and which, when the switch has been trailed through, may be quickly and easily restored to active use.

Another object of this invention is to provide a railway switch stand having a banner or signal light with a mechanism which, when the switch has been trailed through, will indicate such fact preferably by the changed position of the banner or signal light.

Other objects of the present invention will become more apparent from the folowing description, referring to the accompanying drawings in which I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention. The essential features of the invention will be summarized in the claims.

Referring now to the drawings; Fig. 1 is a plan the ties H by bolts [4.

view of the switch stand showing its relationship to a railway switch; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation illustrating my improved switch stand in side elevation, the plane ofthe section being indicated by the lines 2-2 'on Fig. 1; Fig 3 is a horizontal section taken through the switch stand operating mechanism, the plane of the section being indicated at the lines 33 on Fig. 2; Fig. 4

is a vertical section indicated by the correspondingly numbered lines on Fig. 3; and'Fig. 5 is a plan view of the switch stand as it would appear after the switch has been trailed through.

As illustrated in the drawings, the frame of the switch stand comprises a main casting l0 adapted to be interposed between a, pair of switch stand supporting ties I I. This main casting is provided with a pair of outwardly extending wing portions l2 and [3 adapted to overlie and be securedto The main, casting I0 includes a horizontal web portion extending between the ties, some distance below the top thereof, and provided with a vertically extending boss l6 toform a bearing for a vertically extending spindle shaft I! hereinafter to be more fully described. It is to be noted, however, that the boss I6 and the spindle shaft are offset from the center of the main casting (to the left in Figs.

2 and 3),.to provide space at one side of the spindle for the switch and banner operating mechanism. Pinned to the spindle shaft, above the boss l6, by a, spindle bolt i8 is a spindle block l9. This block serves to prevent downward movement of the shaft and, as hereinafter will be more fully described, connects the spindle shaft with the operating lever and the switch point bar respectively. Upward movement of the spindle shaft is prevented by a cotter pin 2| which which is illustrated in Fig. 3. As there shown,

the operating lever is secured to the square end 26 of a power shaft 21. mounted in a horizontally extending boss 28 formed in a vertical wall 29 of the basecasting Ill. The inner end of the power shaft projects through the wall 29 and has a squared portion 30 to which is secured a crank 3!. The crank is provided with an angular recess 32 arranged to receive a pin 33 of a yoke 34. The yoke is'providediwith a pair of arms 35 which'embrace flat sides 36 of the spindle block [9 heretofore "described.

This shaft is rotatably The yoke 34 is pivotally mounted on the block IQ for movement in a vertical plane, or axially, relative to the spindle block. As shown in the drawings, the spindle bolt |8, heretofore described as securing the block I9 to the spindle shaft, passes through the arms 35 of the yoke, thus providing a pivotal connection between the yoke and the block. To reduce frictionand to compensate for inaccuracies in construction, thus reducing the cost of the switch stand, the yoke pin 33 is preferably provided with a roller 38, the outer spherical surface of which engages the wall of the crank recess 32, as indicated in the drawings, and prevents any binding action between the crank and the yoke, thus facilitating the manual operation of the stand.

The spindle block l9, as heretofore mentioned, is connected by a horizontally reciprocable bar to the switch points. As illustrated in Fig. l, the switch points S and S| are secured together by a spacing bar S2 and are positioned between the two stock rails R and Rr-|. In the. position shown, the switch point S is in engagement with the stock rail R, and the switch point S-| is spaced from the stock rail R-l, when the switch is thrown in the opposite direction, it reverses the position of the switch points relative to their respective stock rails. One of the spacing bars S--2 extends outwardly beneath, the stock rail adjacent the switch stand, as shown at 40, and pivotally secured to the outer end of this spacing bar is a switch point bar 4 The bar 4| forms a connecting link between the switch point bar S-2 and the spindle block I!) of the switch stand. One end of the bar 4| is pivotally secured as at 42 to the extension 48 of the switch point bar while the other end is pivotally secured to the spindle block |9 by a pivot pin 43. Thus, the movement of the spindle shaft is transmitted to the switch point bars to throw the switch points from one position to another.

When the switch which is set against a train is trailed through, the flange of a car wheel moving in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 splits or separates the stock rail R and the switch point S, moving the switch point bar 4| toward the right. To avoid damage to the switch operating mechanism, I have arranged the pivotal connection between the switch point bar 4| and the spindle block l9 so that the force applied to the switch point bar by reason of the trailing through of the switch will shear this connection before it will damage the switch stand or any of its component parts.

As illustrated in the drawings, the switch point bar 4| extends between the arms 45 of a crank or lever formed integrally with the spindle block IS. The pivot pin 43 passes through aligned openings in the arms 45 and the switch point bar 4|. This pivot is in the nature of a shearv pin having undercut portions 46 which, when the pin is in its active position, align with coacting faces of the switch point bar 4| and the arms 45 of the spindle block. The undercutting of the pin is carried to such a depth that the force transmitted to the pin during the trailing through of the switch will shear the pin and permit the bar 4| to move relative to the spindle block, there-' by eliminating any damage to the switch, stand or its operating mechanism. When the operating lever 25 is in the position indicated in the drawings or swung 180 or to a position slightly greater than 180 therefrom, the pivotal connection between the crank 3| and the yoke 34 is slightly below the center of the pivotal connection between the yoke and the spindle block H3, or on dead center relative thereto, being supported in such position by interengaging flat surfaces 48 between the yoke and the block, thus, preventing any movement whatsoever of the spindle as a result of forces applied to it through the switch point bar 4|.

When the shear pin 43 has been broken due to the trailing through of the switch, the switch stand operating arm is moved to a position to align the openings of the arms 45 of the spindle block with the opening of the bar 4 the sheared pin parts removed, and a new shear pin inserted in such openings, whereupon a cotter pin 41 may be inserted in the shear pin to retain it in place. The switch operating lever then may be moved to the desired position to reset the switch. For convenience, I have incorporated, in the main casting ID, a box for spare shear pins. This box is shown as being cast integral with the main frame casting l0, and comprises'an open top receptacle 50. A cover plate 5| is removably secured to the top of the receptacle by a bolt 52.

Railway switch stands are generally provided with either a banner or a signal lamp, or both, the purpose of which is to indicate visibly the position of the switch. The banner as shown in the drawings may comprise a pair of sheet metal membersBU, each member being bent so that when they are joined together, as is indicated in Fig. 5, they will form a cross the arms of which are spaced 90 from each other. Such arms are generally arranged, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, to indicate the direction that will be taken as a result of the position of the switch.

In my preferred form of switch stand, the banner member 60 is secured to a banner sleeve 5|,the lower end of which is provided with a. socket 62 adapted to receive the end of the spindle shaft as indicated in Fig. 2. The banner sleeve is provided with a pair of spaced arms 63 between which is inserted one end 64 of a bracket 65, a pivotal connection between the bracket 65 and the arms 63 being maintained by a bolt or pivot pin 63. The other end 61 of the bracket is secured, as shown in Fig. 4, to the switch point bar 4|, thus the banner will at all times move with the switch point bar. Therefore, when the switch is thrown by the manual operation of the lever 25, the banner will be rotated, by such bar, through a 90 angle corresponding to the angle of movement of the spindle block l9.

When using the present invention, the switch points will be so arranged that when moved from one position to the other, they will travel substantially twice the width of the car wheel flanges, thus, when a switch is trailed through,

' .spindle shaft or spindle shaft block. The force ;operating movement of the switch. The switch bar 4| being connected by the bracket 65 to the banner sleeve 5|, the banner will be moved throughapproximately a 45 angle, to a positionsuch as is shown in Fig. 5. Thus, the signal is moved to an intermediate or cocked position, thereby giving immediate notice to all trainmen, and othersconcerned, that the switch is improperly set and the shear pin in all probabil ity broken. This permits readjustment of the switch stand and switch thereby eliminating accidents which might result from the moving of trains or cars through a switch which has been split by a trailing through action.

A signal lamp may be secured to the switch stand in any manner, as for instance, by a lamp bracket generally indicated in Fig. 4 at as comprising a bifurcated socket adapted to receive the upper end of the spindle shaft in embracing relation to the shaft and banner, and which may be secured in place by the bolt H which normally secures the banner in position on the banner sleeve 6!. lamp bracket is provided with a plug .arranged to receive the lamp in the usual manner.

Suitable seats 80 and 8| are secured to the switch ties II, to receive and serve as stops for the operating lever 25. These may be provided with the usual latches or locking devices if so desired.

I claim:

1. In a switch stand, a rotatable vertical spindle, a switch bar, an arm carried by said spindle, a severable connection between the switch bar and said arm, manually operable means to rotate said spindle, a signal mounted on said spindle and rotatable independently thereof when said connection is severed, and a connection independent of said spindle between said signal and switch bar to cause the signal to be positively moved consequent upon the movement of said bar. r

2. In a switch stand, a rotatable vertical spindle, a switch bar, a spindle block drivingly carried by said spindle, a severable connection between the switch bar and said block, manually operable means to rotate said spindle including means to restrain said spindle against movement other than through the medium of said manually operable means, a signal mounted on said spindle and rotatable independently thereof when said connection is severed, and a non-severable connection between said signal and switch bar to cause the signal to be moved positively consequent upon the movement of said bar whether said bar is moved by the operating mechanism or by a switch following the severing of said connection.

3. In a switch stand comprising a frame, a

spindle journalled in said frame, a yoke pivotally connected to said spindle, a power shaft journalled in said frame, an operating lever secured to one end of said power shaft, a crank carried by said powershaft, a pin on said yoke adapted to be engaged by said crank to cause the movement of the power shaft to be transmitted to the spindle, a switch point bar pivotally secured to said spindle by a frangible pivot pin, said pin The upper end of the l being arranged and adapted to break consequent 7 upon the trailing through of the switch actuated thereby while the stand is set in a reverseposition, a signal movablymounted on said spindle and rotatable independently thereof when said pin is severed, and a connection between the switch point bar and the signal to cause said signal to be moved when said bar is moved by the operation of said operating lever. or due to the trailing through of the switch against the. setting of the switch.

carried by said power shaft, a pin on said yoke adapted to be engaged by said crank to cause the movement of the power shaft to. be transmitted to the spindle, an arm secured tosaid spindle, a horizontal reciprocable switch point bar pivotally secured to said arm by a frangible grooved pivot pin, a sleeve mounted on .the upper end of said spindle and rotatable independently thereof when said pin is severed, a signal carried by said sleeve, and an arm. connected to the switch bar and pivotally connected to said sleeve.

5. In a switch stand, a rotatable vertical spindle, a switch point bar, a severable connection between the spindle and the bar to move the bar whenever the spindle is rotated, a signal rotatably mounted on thespindle, an operating member connected with the spindle to rotate the spindle, and a non-severable connection between the signal and bar to rotate said signal as a unit with said spindle when the spindle is operated by said operating member and to rotate said signal independent of saidspindle when the'switch bar is moved by a trailing through of the switch and the connection between the spindle and the bar is severed.

WALTER S. NEWHALL. 

